sound barrier
noun
: a sudden large increase in aerodynamic drag that occurs as the speed of an aircraft approaches the speed of sound
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Bynum made it to the end of the sound barrier on the Northside Drive exit ramp before disappearing off the side of the ramp. 
Chelsea Prince, ajc, 8 July 2022 Some environmental advocacy groups have pushed for a sound barrier to be installed in the water further upriver to discourage carp from getting through. Madeline Heim, Journal Sentinel, 27 June 2022 If all goes according to schedule, the first paying passengers will break the sound barrier some 26 years after the last Concorde flight from New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to London’s Heathrow Airport in October 2003. Suzanne Rowan Kelleher, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2022 The Navy did not release the exact location of the incident, but two days before, the Department of Defense tweeted that a Super Hornet had broken the sound barrier over the Ionian Sea, which is adjacent to Italy’s southeast coast. Jason Samenow, Anchorage Daily News, 12 July 2022 During the ceremony, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla discussed California’s contributions to science and space, noting that California was where Chuck Yeager first broke the sound barrier. Carolyn Giardina, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 June 2022 The news comes after a Global 7500 test vehicle broke the sound barrier during a demonstration flight last May, achieving speeds of more than Mach 1.015. Tamara Hardingham-gill, CNN, 23 May 2022 This film heralds the return of the summer blockbuster, and is a catalyst that will accelerate demand for moviegoing like an F-18 breaking the sound barrier. Jacob Siegal, BGR, 30 May 2022 Forget breaking the sound barrier: Tom Cruise just flew past a major career milestone. Lindsey Bahr, ajc, 29 May 2022 See More
Chelsea Prince, ajc, 8 July 2022 Some environmental advocacy groups have pushed for a sound barrier to be installed in the water further upriver to discourage carp from getting through. Madeline Heim, Journal Sentinel, 27 June 2022 If all goes according to schedule, the first paying passengers will break the sound barrier some 26 years after the last Concorde flight from New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to London’s Heathrow Airport in October 2003. Suzanne Rowan Kelleher, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2022 The Navy did not release the exact location of the incident, but two days before, the Department of Defense tweeted that a Super Hornet had broken the sound barrier over the Ionian Sea, which is adjacent to Italy’s southeast coast. Jason Samenow, Anchorage Daily News, 12 July 2022 During the ceremony, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla discussed California’s contributions to science and space, noting that California was where Chuck Yeager first broke the sound barrier. Carolyn Giardina, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 June 2022 The news comes after a Global 7500 test vehicle broke the sound barrier during a demonstration flight last May, achieving speeds of more than Mach 1.015. Tamara Hardingham-gill, CNN, 23 May 2022 This film heralds the return of the summer blockbuster, and is a catalyst that will accelerate demand for moviegoing like an F-18 breaking the sound barrier. Jacob Siegal, BGR, 30 May 2022 Forget breaking the sound barrier: Tom Cruise just flew past a major career milestone. Lindsey Bahr, ajc, 29 May 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
1939, in the meaning defined above